Saving Me
by Avenger of the fallen
Summary: A group of friends who hunt down and destroy League controlled out-ports that use genetic modification to create soldiers are faced with having to go into temporary hiding while being hunted by the League and the Sentella. ((Huge shout-out @ general zargon for your help with the re-write in a positive way. Thank You.)) (Rating and Genre to possibly change)
1. Escape

She curled into a small ball on the cold tile floor. Not to cry, but to conserve her body heat because when the power was cut, so too was her only source of warmth. The paper thin pants and shirt that they gave all the subjects to wear offered very little warmth at all. The doctor that was with her had been called away when the entire base started malfunctioning for no viable reason.

Shivering, she could still feel the needles and all of the different instruments that had been used to "test" her. The so-called tests were torture in and of themselves, but the more she refused to give in to the nagging need to scream, the more they poked and prodded her. Every time they came into the tiny double reinforced glass-walled room they brought with them the promise of allowing her to see her family. Promises she knew were really just sweetened lies they used to direct her into doing exactly as they wanted.

How many more 'tests' needed to be done before the subjects were going to be set free?

The thought nagged her. Just thinking about the last time she was placed into their "training room" where she had to fight for her life against someone she considered a friend made her stomach lurch in disgust. The things that they wanted her to do, the things that they forced her to do were evil, plain and simple. There was no other way to really describe what the Doctors were at this point in time.

The lights had gone out an hour or more ago so that the only light that illuminated the building was the orange-red glow of the emergency lighting that were powered by the backup generator system. She rose to her feet and as she did here eyes spotted the silvery glint of a scalpel that was lying on the metal floor by the door. The reinforced door that kept her inside the ten-by-ten cell hissed as the hydraulic system disengaged as someone opened it from the other side.

Gasping slightly against the rush of icy cold air that came from the hall as the door opened just enough for a person to get through. Well, that depended on the size of the person, really.

Without really thinking about the consequences, she lunged for the fallen scalpel and gripped it firmly; she was ready to defend herself at any cost. Raising her eyes, her blue flecked pale green eyes settled on a black-clad figure that was partially hiding in the shadows just outside the door frame. She clutched the scalpel just a little tighter in her fist.

"I am not here to do you any harm," the figure spoke again, and once more she felt the potent effects of an underlying power that seemed to simmer just under the newcomer's command. "I need you to come with me."

Her eyes widened slightly at the mention of getting out of this hell she'd come to know as her life. "Leave?"

"Yes, _leave, or would you rather stay and die in the horrible explosion that's going to rip this place apart?_ " The owner of the voice stood to full height and removed his helmet.

Shock flickered across her face as she realized that he was not even human. A mass of tiny black-brown braids were tied back and held in place by an elastic band at the nape of his neck. Depthless white eyes were ringed in deep red were set in a face that bore beauty to its extreme.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she silently berated herself for the thoughtless fear of an unknown. Not human? How could anyone place a name on another at all when they were in her position? Hell, at the moment she was no more human than he was.

While he was a full head and shoulders above her and possessed an air of absolute command, she was not without her powers as well. "I will never again be a prisoner."

The - Whatever he was, sighed and took a small, step towards her and put out his hand to her. "Look, we don't have much time before my friends fry this place and turn it into space scrap. I am trying to offer you an escape here. Take the damn offer or die, I don't really care which." He smoothed a hand through his dreadlocked hair and groaned as his com went off.

"Listen up; there's a live prisoner on this station." She looked at him askance as he spoke to the other person… people… Damnit! Who or whatever was on the other end was still talking. "Doing my best, but apparently she's stubborn enough to give Misha a run for his money." More silence followed his description of her.

Her brows shot up in surprise as she tried no to take offence to the way he talked about her as though she could not understand him. Something that sounded suspiciously like an explosion echoed in the distance.

 _What the hell is going on now?!_ Her head swam as she felt the vibration of the first explosion which nearly sent her to the floor. "Oh…"

The guy in front of her paced a few steps as he maintained his balance "That was what? Oh. Okay… well, fucking give me a warning next time would you?!" He fell quiet as yet another detonation rocked the foundations of the station. "Damn you straight to the seventh circle of Hell, you stain on society."

"What was…" She started to ask but the look on his face silenced her

"It's nothing that's of any concern to you; if you want to live that is." The guy grit his teeth in response to what the other person said and grabbed her arm. "I am no longer in the mood to negotiate with you, come on."

The world tilted on its axis as she struggled to keep up with him until the floor finally rose to meet her. Scarcely conscious, she barely felt him pick her up and carry her out of the medical research facility as it sustained continuous damage from both the imploding equipment and explosives.

Voices shouted in the distance as the high-powered gate of the pressurized bridge hissed closed behind them as they made their final exit onto the awaiting ship. Her mind clouded as she fought to maintain consciousness.

"Holy shit, not another one; how many more are out there?" Another voice spoke as he carried her through the hall to the medical rooms.

"She was one of the prisoners and the only one that they left alive. Not sure of her ethnicity though she appears to be Ritadarion."

She tried to open her eyes, but the sudden warmth combined with the stress of the situation plunged her into the dark abyss of unconsciousness. He felt her go completely lifeless in his arms and glanced down to check if she was still breathing. Thankfully, she was.

* * *

"Who do you think she is anyway, Valiant?" Silently picking at his thumbnail, the larger man tilted his head to the side to glare down at his best friend. "What?"

"You are an ass."

"Come again?"

"You heard me." Valiant growled. "You could have at least given me a five minute head start, but I guess that's too much to ask."

"Jerk, why are you even bitching about it? You're alive, she's alive. What more do you want?"

Valiant smirked at his friend and tossed his survival knife into the air before catching it again by the hilt in his palm. "Why am I bitching about it? Well, gee, let me see… _I'm_ not the one who forgot to make sure that his best friend was off of an exploding station before detonating my bombs."

Shamed, Axel lowered his eyes. "I still don't see why your complaining." He sighed, pausing to check his chronometer before speaking again. "Think she will be like our girl?"

Axel tilted his head back against the wall and sighed as Valiant thought about the question that hung like poison in the air between them. "I have no clue. Hell, man, Az's in a league of her own entirely. Whatever those people did to the girl I just saved it didn't break her completely."

"One can only hope," Axel replied. The doors to the infirmary opened and another member of their leaders of their crew stepped out. "Hey, Atlas how's is she?"

"Thankfully, she's going to live through this, but what they did to her, well we won't know until she wakes. Physically she's stable and doing well. Mentally is another story all together.

There was a slight commotion in the room at the far end of the hall that sent Axel and the others running to check. As they entered the room, they had to dodge a chair that their tech friend, Misha had sent flying. "Fucking League with their fucking med centers all need to go to Hell in a painted hand basket."

"Temper tantrum much, Misha?"

"Okay guys, what in the almighty seventh circle of Hell is going on here?" A fifth man entered the room and took one cursory glance around before glaring at the other four men. "Get this cleaned up. I just got a vid call from Jagger. He told me that the Sentella somehow caught wind of vigilantes who were destroying League medical out-ports. They are on their way to investigate the most recent attack."

"Damn."

"Captain, what will you have us do?" Valiant asked with a calm he didn't really feel.

"We run." The Captain said as he sat on the only upright chair left in the room. "I refuse to place any of our precious cargo in jeopardy and if that means going into hiding until this shit cools down then so be it." He turned to leave the room, leaving four to the task of righting the Communications Room.

The room was quiet except for the sound of their breathing. Axel righted the table and started picking up the scattered papers that were littered about the floor. As he tidied, his thoughts wandered to the young woman who he'd pulled off the now destroyed Medical Research Station.


	2. Calm Before A Storm

By the next day, the ship and her crew were three worm-hole jumps away from their last position. Using the hyper-drive only in random bursts, they managed to luck out and reach the Varian Sector without being stopped or even noticed by patrol units.

Azrael glared at the Captain of the ship as he strode into the meager library – well, it was really more of a spare room that had been remodeled when she joined the all-male crew. His not-so-lethal lope almost made her laugh if not for the fact that she knew he was stressing over something. She watched through the curtain of her blue-streaked blond hair as he limped around the room looking for something to read and grinned as he cursed in his native tongue when he realized that one of his most-read books was gone.

Having been saved by the five men just two years earlier, Azrael had been eager to sign on as one of the crew based on the fact that it offered her a modicum of protection. Her unfortunate run with the League scientists unlocked a deadly power that could prove fatal when unleashed, but, thankfully, one of her new-found friends knew of a Trisani who was able to place a cap on her powers so that she was only able to access the most basic of them as needed.

"Hello, Az" Bane said as he finally plopped down in the arm chair next to her. "What cha reading?"

"History of Ritadaria, Third Edition," she replied softly. He laughed at the title as she showed him the book. He raked one of his hands through his braided black hair while the other rested on the leg that was draped over the arm of the chair. An Andarion by birth, he had been the first to break away from the teachings of his old-school parents and create the crew of his ship, Anarchy. Calm by nature, he was the exact polar opposite of his identical twin brother, Misha.

"So, we are going to Hell in a hand-basket real fast, Az." Bane sighed as he rubbed a tired hand over his face.

Azrael tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"Well, here's the thing," Bane shifted his weight so that he was sitting with both feet on the floor and his elbows resting on his knees. "Valiant found another test subject like you at the last station we destroyed. While Atlas was getting her taken care of in the medic room and my idiot brother decided to give over to his temper, I got a call from Jagger letting me know that all Hell has broke loose on Andaria with the royal family and that now, not only have we drawn the attention of the League, but we've also become targets of the elusive Sentella leaders."

Azrael rolled her pale-blue eyes toward the ceiling. Her eyes had given the crew the shivers whenever they looked directly at her because they were so pale that they appeared white in color. "Is it safe to say that Teddy Bear had a titanic-sized tantrum?" Using Misha's nickname always made Bane laugh, but this time it only elicited a huff and a smirk.

"As per his usual routine, I'm afraid."

"That does not surprise me a bit." She sighed as she bookmarked her page in the book and set it on the low table in front of her. "So, Captain, what are we going to do?"

"Actually, I always wanted to go to Strata, they do have the best booze in the business and we could all use a vacation until this shit calms down to the point where we can get back to what we started."

Her hair shifted to cover her face as she bowed her head, pretending to study the cover of the book she'd been reading. "Operation League Take-down is on hold then?" Her voice was barely a whisper, but thanks to his inhuman hearing he heard every word clearly. "For how long will this be?"

Red-ringed eyes watched the tiny girl across from him with intent interest. He knew that she remembered very little of her life before being taken to the outpost and becoming a being so complex that no system in the galaxy was able to determine her origins… until Bane's brother decided to hack into the league files and find out what they had done. Based on snippets of her memories, they were able to piece together that she was, or rather had been a Ritadarion at some point before they spliced her DNA with that of a Trisani, and a Phryxian. The result of that spliced DNA was a girl who had powers with the ability to see in the dark while being able to breathe underwater for short periods of time.

Yet, as the years passed, they learned that she could not handle the powers within and that she was severely limited to what she could do.

"Bane?"

He became vaguely aware of Azrael calling his name. "Huh?"

She let out a small giggle as she walked over to the bookcase and replaced her book on the shelf. "You never answered me."

"What?"

She threw her hands into the air and groaned loudly, "Oh my god, you're impossible. For the love of my sanity and your health, Bane, go get some sleep."

He frowned at her sudden attitude towards him and wondered what the heck he'd done to warrant such snappy wit out of the usually calm young woman. "I'm not tired; just stressed."

"Yeah, whatever," she grumbled. "Tell that to a dead lorina and it'll get up to bite your ass."

Tidying the room as she went, she mumbled under her breath about idiots who fell asleep while talking to their friends. Amusement glittered in his eyes as he watched her before she turned and threw a knife at his head which he caught and returned with a light laugh.

"Nice to see your reaction time is still dead on." As she spoke she caught the returned blade with a flourishing twist of her wrist and grinned. "You know what? I could use some new clothes if that's okay with you, Captain." She smoothed a hand over the dress she was wearing as she spoke and watched his reaction.

Careful to hide his actual thoughts from Azrael, he rose to his full six foot three height which dwarfed her by nearly a full foot, and made his way past her to the door of the room. "We are docking soon, so grab whatever it is that you need and meet the rest of us in the Command Room."

As the door slid shut behind him he heard the distinct sound of her knife striking off the steel door before falling to the carpeted floor. Chuckling under his breath at her reaction, he was relieved that he'd avoided the second toss of her blade. But then, Azrael was not the type of person to attack you while your back was turned. Or so he hoped anyway. Besides, if she really wanted to kill him he would be dead and no one would be the wiser simply because she never missed a shot. His mind wandered back to the day he and Misha first met the tiny Ritadarion.

 _/ **2 years ago/**_

There was no denying the look in the tiny females silvery eyes as Bane and Misha opened the door to the cell where the scientists were keeping her.

Was that fear in her silver orbs? Was it accusations, maybe?

No, there was a deeply obvious hatred that sent shivers down the brother's spines. She seethed the same dangerous energy as a lorina huntress facing its prey in the wild.

"If you've come to kill me, do it." Her tinkling voice actually hurt their sensitive hearing slightly. "Otherwise get me the hell out of here."

Bane looked askance at his twin brother and sighed. "Grab the girl and let's get out of here before the crew decides it wants to leave us."

"Um, hello," Misha said sarcastically. "Ever think there's a reason she's still alive? Not to mention the fact that she's the _only_ one alive on this God's forsaken port?"

"Misha, just do as I ask and we can hash out the details later." Bane turned to the girl whose head now hung low to her chest as the shimmer of tears glistened on her pale cheeks. Her white-blond hair now forming a curtain around her face, he stooped to place a finger under her chin. "Whoa now, what's this? You were just about to kill us with your eyes and now you're crying?

"Is there a Phryxian here?"

Bane cast a look over his shoulder at his brother. Misha's gaze was pained. Yeah, they'd found the one she was talking about, but he'd looked like a Vic from a B-rates slasher movie. Bane swallowed and started untying the girl's restraints as he explained the situation for what it was.

Surprisingly, she took the news of the death with a quiet resolve. "I'm going to kill them all for what they have done."

Her words chilled the brothers to the bone and turned their blood to ice in their veins. Misha barked a laugh.

"Female, if you come with us peacefully I will personally hand you the blaster and let you got to town." He said as he slid a second weapon from his hip holster. He clicked off the safety and set the level to kill as he spoke. "Here, look, I got it all ready for you."

A flash of uncertainty echoed in her eyes before she threw caution to the wind and reached for the weapon in the Andarion's outstretched hand. Suddenly, in a move that left her without breath and shocked to the core, he pinned her to the wall of the cell and pressed the blaster to her head.

"Misha, don't!" Bane shouted as he took a step towards his brother. Misha leveled his other blaster at his twin and scowled.

"But, so help me, if you ever, _ever_ turn on us I will not hesitate to take you out in a heartbeat." Anger flashed in silvery eyes as she faced down the huge being without fear. "Got it?"

"Yeah, I got your meaning, jackass." She whispered in a voice that was like velvet covering a steel blade. "Now, hand me the gun and step aside before I make you eat your words."

Misha's scowl faded to a satisfied smirk as he backed off and placed the blaster in her hands. Bane, on the other hand, had to turn his head to hide the fact that he was holding back his laughter.

They turned to leave the cell and were faced with four League soldiers with their weapons leveled at them. "Shit."

"No kidding." Misha breathed in agreement to Bane's assessment of their situation.

Suddenly, from behind them, four consecutive shots were fired and the soldiers fell into a heap on the ground. Shock rendered Misha speechless for once as Bane examined each soldier.

"Don't bother checking for a pulse. They're dead."

Still in shock, Misha and Bane faced the girl who was checking the charge gauge on the blaster. "Two left. I better make them count."

"Bane, what's the status of their wounds?" Misha asked quietly.

His usually cool and collected twin brother was staring at the tiny girl in awe and Misha thought he saw a hint of fear in his brother's eyes. "Every single one was taken out by a solitary head shot."

Misha let out a low whistle. "Okay then, remind me never to get on her bad side."

Bane shivered. "Dually noted." He turned to the girl. "Do you have a name?"

"Azrael is what they called me when I got here." A light tinge of red flushed her face. "It's a boy's name, I know, but it is associated with the angel who carries the souls of the dead to the hands of the gods."

"An angel of death," Bane mused thoughtfully, "how very fitting."

 _ **/present day/**_

After dressing for his outing in his armor-lined clothes, Misha shoved his feet into his dark brown boots and snapped the buckles closed before donning his jacket. He took one last glance in the mirror, to smooth a stray lock of hair. Unlike his brother and Valiant, his hair had been cut short to just above his ears and left hanging loose. Whistling, he grabbed his wallet and walked out of his room only to come face to face with the crew's tiniest member. Standing at a whole five foot five, Azrael stood against the far wall listening to her music that Axel had downloaded for her years ago.

He crossed his arms over his chest, the leather of his hip-length black jacket creaked in protest. "What do you want now, pest?"

"Awe, does someone have their panties in a knot?" Azrael shot back. To any outsiders, it would have seemed like the two were constantly arguing over anything and everything. To the crew of Anarchy, however, it was simply how Az and Misha got along and for the most part their behavior was ignored completely. "You missed the meeting so your dearest brother made us pair up for supply restock and a wardrobe run."

Realizing that he was still holding his wallet, Misha casually tucked it into the hidden pocket of his jacket and sighed dramatically. "I guess I can tolerate you for an hour or two. Who's the wardrobe run for?"

"Me and the girl that Valiant saved," Azrael answered as she shoved her music player into the inside pocket of her own jacket.

Misha took a moment to give the youngest member of their group a real look. Her hair had been pulled back into a tight braid that hung over her left shoulder. As per her standard look, she was dressed head to toe in matte black battle gear that included a sharp-looking belt holster that hung on an angle from the top of her left hip just off her right thigh.

Rarely used, the very same blaster that he had handed her when they met was encased in the maroon-colored leather holster that Axel gave her when she decided to join the crew for good. Custom made anti-gravity boots held a hidden switchblade in each toe and were buckled with criss-cross straps. Her form fitting pants and shirt were, in addition, laden with the lightest but strongest blast proof materials. Her jacket was also form-fitted to the waist before flaring out down to her calves.

 _Be damned if that ain't why bro got a freakin crush on her._ Misha thought, forgetting for a split second that she was more than likely attuned to his thoughts at the moment.

"I figured as much, but do you think he'd make a move? Oh hell no, he'd rather play shy and freaking fall asleep in the middle of a conversation we were having earlier."

Misha stifled a laugh at her whispered rant as they walked down the hall to the ramp. "Bane actually did something to piss you off? I thought that would be an impossible task given how good the two of you get along."

"These days it surprises me how bad my control over my temper is." She tipped her head to the side as they walked out of the docking station and into the crowd of passer-by's that wandered the streets. _"Tell me about the Sentella."_

Taken aback by her question, Misha scanned the crowd around them for any sign that the locals had heard her. Suddenly, he realized that she had not spoken the words out loud at all. " _They are a major opposing force that is against anything the League does. None of our crew has ever seen them or crossed paths with their members in any way that I can remember."_

 _"I see. Well, we can only hope that they will hear us out before gunning us down."_

 _"One can dream, malyshka."_ Shocked at the surprising use of the Andarion term for little one, she looked up at his face and noticed that he was focused on a single group of three men that was standing at a street vendor's shop.

"Something tells me that they are not buying jewelry for their wives dressed like they're ready for battle."

"Stranger things have happened." She whispered as she tugged his sleeve and indicated the clothing store to the right of the street. "Come on, that chickie we left behind with Valiant and Atlas is going to need real clothes and I already have her size."

* * *

Syn and Darling shared a look as they secretly watched the two newcomers enter a shop across the road from them. After Nykyrian had gotten word of the destroyed space ports, he'd set Hauk to the task of gathering intel on any ships present in the affected areas. Once the information had come back, Syn and Darling volunteered to intercept the ones involved and gather more intelligence.

Although the newcomers were against the League, something needed to be done. Darling picked up a small bracelet from the showcase of the stand examining it closely as he spoke the words they were all thinking. "We need to find out more and probably talk to them about what's going on before innocent people get hurt instead of just league soldiers."

Nero glanced at the shops windows and tried hard to understand what the hell had just transpired under his very nose. "Ugh." He pressed the heel of his hand to his temple and groaned. "I'm picking up the powers of a Trisani here that were not present when we landed."

"Think that they have one with them?" Syn asked calmly.

"Yeah, so it would seem." Nero said, his usually calm demeanor appeared to be shaken for some reason. The three men shook it off, but still…. Something nagged him constantly.

What was it about the crew of the Anarchy that made him so on edge?

* * *

Feel free to R&R people.


	3. First Meeting

**First Meeting**

Nykyrian paused in his work as the door to his home office opened then closed so that his wife could come in with him. "Kids down for the night?" Kiara grinned, her beautiful face lighting up.

"Just got the last one down, but I'm not daddy to a certain little boy." Nykyrian laughed lightly, knowing full well that Adron was the culprit this time.

"Sorry, I'm just trying to get through this information that Hauk gave me this evening. Something's not adding up about the crew of that ship."

"What crew?"

"There's a crew of the ship called Anarchy that keeps attacking League Medical Research centers. But there's something that's not adding up."

Kiara gingerly picked up the list of names for the destroyed ports that were written in Hauks own hand. "Sweetie, does the name Atlas Gemini mean anything to you?"

"No, why?" He asked as he inhaled her sweet scent. "Is he someone that is important to you?" Nykyrian asked softly while he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

She nodded. "He was one of the doctors that helped me when I was a child."

"Then I will look into it, as well." Smiling, Kiara laid her head on her husbands shoulder and sighed.

* * *

Misha and Azrael made their way back to the ship after spending the afternoon tormenting each other playfully while they shopped and gamed at a small arcade that was run a few streets from where they started. With the actual reason for the trip out of the way and the supplies already sent to the ship, they had taken full advantage of what little down time thy had.

"Come on, Misha, don't be a sour puss over that silly arcade game I beat you in." She laughed out loud as she remembered the shooting game that they had played at the arcade. "If it makes you feel any better I actually had to try hard to keep up with you this time."

"It doesn't, actually." He continued to pout over his loss as he noted the near empty streets were eerily silent for this time of evening. "We're being followed."

"On our six - behind the dumpster - and three - by the building near the clothing store we were at earlier." He heard Azrael whisper through her teeth. "I noticed them a yard or two back."

"I sincerely hope that my brother knows what he's doing letting them corner us like this." Misha replied quietly as he and Azrael shared a look of worry between them.

Turning on her link, Azrael set it to the ships frequency in order to maintain a fully open, yet completely private channel. "Angel and Teddy Bear checking in; what are our orders, Captain?"

Listening to the sigh over the link, she heard the rustle of cloth as Bane paced around his room. "Keep the channel open and do not let on that you have spotted them. We want them on our side as much as possible and that means putting you in harms way. Honestly, I'd rather cut off my hand then let you take unnecessary risks."

Azrael rolled her eyes as she shifted one of her packages. "At this point, do we really have a choice?"

Another sigh – Bane was really kicking himself in the ass for this one. "Not really. Nemesis could be our only hope in stopping the creation of the genetically modified super soldiers."

Misha chuckled, "there's no need to get too worked up over this, brother. They are playing right into our hands according to your plan."

"Don't remind me, Misha." Bane growled. "You're the reason I'm worried for Azrael's safety. At this point, your temper could make or break our plan."

A sudden chill ran down Azrael's spine and settled like an icy lump in her stomach. "There's a Trisani with them!" She hissed through gritted teeth.

"Fuck me," Axel's voice came over the link as he groaned. "Boss, I just got a message from Triky and Novidia."

"What did they say?" Valiant asked calmly. "It better be good news, is all I'm saying."

"They got stranded on a Tavali outpost and were hauled in for questioning." A round of curses in four different languages echoed across the line.

Azrael discreetly glanced around at their surroundings as they rounded the last corner to the open area of the docking vicinity. Her mind was racing for some reason and it was killing her that she couldn't puzzle this feeling out.

With the Anarchy finally in their sights and the bay area completely empty of civilians, they quickened their pace slightly as they taunted and teased each other mercilessly. Yet, this was exactly why their behaviour made them perfect for recon missions like this.

As they taunted each other they were also watching for hidden threats. Their carrying-on was merely a rouse to their real purpose.

Turning on her heal and taking a few paces backwards, Azrael carefully noted the positions of the men following the two friends. "They obviously don't know how to give up, Bane." She reported.

"I am going to kill my brother for telling you my secret." Bane replied tersely.

Misha laughed at his brother's words. "Ah, now – don't be like that, Bane. In my defence she already had it figured out, man."

"Give a shit, he does not. Die, you will." Axel said as he mimicked the character off one of his favourite movies.

Azrael snorted a laugh. "Oh my good gods, Axel, please find some other character to mimic? You're starting to drive me nuts."

Valiant laughed, "He's only _now_ driving you crazy? After two years?" He let out a low whistle. "Ax, my man, you seem to be losing your touch."

Misha could almost _feel_ the frustration in his brother's voice when he spoke again to tell them all to stay on task. He chuckled lightly as Azrael mimicked him noiselessly earning him a growl from his twin. Movement to their rear was limited but the men following them were still there; still watching the two friends as they made their way down the rampart to the waiting ship.

He laughed out loud causing his companion to glare up at him. "I just keep thinking about the first time we met and how we – I mean, me and Bane – thought for sure that you were going to turn on us at any moment."

"Dude, if I wanted to cause you or the others any harm, we would so not be talking right now." Azrael responded sarcastically. She stared him down with a deadpan look; a slow, evil smile twisted her lips. "You would be dead."

More laughter rang out, this time from the entire crew. Suddenly there was a loud bang followed by Axel cursing in Caronese.

"What the actual hell?" Valiant sighed. "What happened, Ax?"

"Tipped back my chair too far and fell against the floor." Another round of laughter rang out into the night. "Not funny, guys!"

There was a chorus of "yes it is" and another halfheartedly angry outburst from Axel had Azrael and Misha nearly on the ground shaking from laughing.

From their hiding places, Darling, Syn, and Nero exchanged glances as they watched the pair they had spotted earlier. Having already hacked their transmission signal, Syn was trying hard not to join in the fun that the crew of Anarchy was having. Suddenly the line crackled ominously as the signal was jammed.

"What the…" Syn tried getting back into the system and failed to access the line again. "How the hell are they jamming my access?"

As he glanced down to retry again, the reflection of someone moving behind him on the screen caused his blood to run cold. The familiar sound of a blaster engaging as he reached for his own weapons made him curse for not recognizing the trap for what it was.

He glanced across the crates only to find that both Darling and Nero were staring at his with bewildered looks on their faces and the two they had been following were gone.

She disengaged the blaster she was holding and put it away as he turned. He was stunned to see that it was not the same girl that they had been following. He was equally confused to see that the blaster was not actually set at all."Who might you be?"

"A member of the Anarchy's crew," She looked up at the Rit with dark, midnight blue eyes and sighed. "Please, follow me. Our captain has been expecting you and there is not much time before the Enforcer's wake up."

"What makes you think that we will go peacefully?" Syn questioned darkly. "For all you know we could kill you all and take your cargo for ourselves and no one would be the wiser."

Smirking, she cast a sideways glance at him and his friends as they closed in on her. Slowly, so that she did not alert them, she pulled a small ledger from her pocket and opened it. "I was told that you might not follow, so our leader had us look into the Sentella. Needless to say there was not much information on any of you except rank of certain members. The most we know is who and, of course, what you are." She opened an email that was worded more like a missive and handed them the ledger. "That's from our captain, who is eager to get on the good side of such a famed military group that is against the League."

They handed the ledger back and watched as she wordlessly put it back in its place. Moving to walk around them, she cast a hard glance over her shoulder. " _Now_ will you follow me to the Anarchy?"

Knowing that there was a choice in the matter, but also knowing that they needed the information about the crew, the three men followed her onto the waiting vessel.

* * *

The dreariness of the entryway was quickly replaced by that of an interesting combination of bright but sombre colors from the flooring to the décor. Darling paused as he looked around at the scarce furnishings of the common room where the girl had led them.

On the side of the room where they had entered was a long bar with several low backed stools and a large cooling unit. Behind the bar hung a narrow rectangular mirror and a small shelf that held drinking glasses ranging from short standard-sized shot to tall water glasses. On the other side was a semi-circle of plush chairs and a small love seat. A low, oval-shaped glass-top table with intricately carved legs sat in the center of the seating arrangement. The room was accented with a red fringed area rug that was detailed with Andarion symbols as well as several pictures that hung on the walls depicting an array of images from photos of the crew to haunting images of battle fields.

She walked over to the cooling unit, tossing her long red coat over the nearest chair as she went.

"Are any of you gentlemen thirsty?"

Nero was the only one to indicate that he was, but she brought an assortment of drinks for them anyway. The Trisani looked up at her and smiled in thanks. "May I ask if you have a Trisani on board?"

She cast a long hard look at the door and sighed. "Captain Orlovis will explain everything." Was all she said as she gathered her coat and headed out of the room. "Make yourselves at home."

As the door slid closed, Darling turned to look at Syn and asked the one question they were all thinking. "How in the nine systems did they know all about us?"

Nero laughed quietly as he noticed the second entrance to the room. "We're not alone." As he spoke, the girl that they'd been tailing all day moved from her place behind the half-opened door. "The power that I sense… it's coming from her."

Opening the door wider, the girl waited a moment before a large Andarion male stepped into the room and walked over to the cooler. They watched as he grabbed two drinks – a bottle of Tondarion Fire and a bottle of water. He handed the water to the girl and, as he poured up the whisky, he cast a glance at the three other men in the room.

"I see that my medic's daughter has seen to your safe deliverance aboard my ship." The male said as he brought the shot glasses of whiskey over to the low table and set them down. "I'm not at all into making small talk so just bear with me for a moment and everything will be explained."

Recovering from their initial shock, Syn, Darling, and Nero shared a worried look. "You have us at your mercy, so to speak." Nero said warily.

The make laughed softly as he motioned for the girl to join him on the small sofa so that they both sat directly opposite the three men. Shrugging off her jacket, she hung it over the back of one of the bar stools and silently joined him.

She looked pointedly at Nero as though she knew who and what he was. "Actually," she said as she recapped her bottle, " _I_ am the one who has you at _our_ mercy.

Startled, he nearly dropped the glass he was holding. Gingerly setting it on the table, he looked at her more closely. "You're the Trisani?"

"Not really, and you have the League to thank for that." She said as she sipped her water. "If Bane's of a mind to, I'd like to explain exactly why you're sensing a Trisani."

Bane reached forward and set his glass on the table before leaning back on the sofa. "My name is Bane Orlovis. The man you saw earlier is my twin brother, Misha, and this is Azrael. She joined our crew a few years ago after my brother and I freed her from the clutches of the League. They have been experimenting with gene splicing as well as DNA altercation and we have made it our mission to put a stop to it before they make more like Az here."

Syn was the first to catch the discrepancy in the captain's words. "Wait a minute, what exactly do you mean by 'more like Az'?"

The girl – Azrael – chuckled softly. "He said exactly what he meant. I was one of the victims of the League's twisted plan to create an army of super soldiers using the DNA of other species to make us stronger, faster, and damn near impossible to kill."

Darling reached forward and took a drink off the table. "I didn't think gene splicing was doable."

"Yeah, well, I'm living, breathing proof that it is possible." Azrael pulled one leg up to her chest and rested her chin on her knee. "What they do is this: they take a child – usually an orphan – and manipulate them into thinking that the doctors are going to make them better beings. Once they earned our trust, they start doing all kinds of medical procedures on us and toy around with our blood to see how it reacts to different species."

She took a drink of her water and recapped the bottle, "once they know what works they take the next step."

Nero paled. "Don't tell me that the next step is injecting the manipulated DNA into the kids?"

"Well, damn, you hit the nail on the head." She replied sarcastically. "That's exactly what they did to us. It's a painful and long process, and many didn't survive. Those of us that did were pit against each other until only one was left standing. That child then undergoes more DNA manipulation until the trait of the other species that was used takes full effect and the subject is able to use those traits to defeat enemies."

Syn, who was perfectly fine before, now looked as though he wanted to hurl. "And you say that your one of those subjects?"

"I am." Azrael replied softly. "I was the last one standing after the doctor's pit me against another subject who was like a brother to me. It nearly shattered my conscious but I somehow managed to retain my sanity until Bane and Misha broke into the location where I was being held. I started helping them track down and destroy any League out port that was associated with the testing."

Darling rubbed a hand over the back of his neck as he grimaced at the thought of the super soldiers Azrael was talking about. "Well, I guess now we know the reason behind the attacks."

Syn and Nero nodded in agreement. Nero took one of the shot glasses and downed the drink in one swig, savouring the fiery whisky as it slid down his throat. Wincing slightly as he swallowed, he placed the empty glass back on the table before he spoke. "Now that we know the why, how about telling us if there were any other survivors?"

Azrael sent a questioning look over to Bane and sighed as he nodded. "Remember how I said that there was usually only one survivor out of every batch?" The men nodded. "Well, there were other survivors that we helped rehabilitate, some never made it far in the real world before the League had them destroyed for speaking out. Others would have rather take their own lives rather than stand a chance of getting caught by the League again."

Bane reached over and placed a hand on her knee as a silent reminder that he was still with her. Offering him a weak smile, she nodded, thankful that he had stayed with her. Leaning forward so that his forearms rested on his knees, Bane looked over at the men.

"About four years ago, my brother was disowned by our parents for a choice that he made and that was when I figured out that we lived in a seriously screwed up society. As an act of pure support for my brother, I packed my stuff and went with him, subsequently getting myself disowned. Nearly six months later, we happened upon an old freighter and fixed it up. We called her Anarchy and started gathering anyone who would support our cause in taking down the League."

He took a sip of his drink and replaced the glass. "Azrael was the first test subject we found when we were raiding a small League out port. Initially, it was only for supplies, but when we saw the recordings that the doctor's had and found Azrael in her cell we realized that we had to do something to stop them."

"So, with my help, they were able to locate and map out several ports that had League medical research facilities." Azrael said before she took another swallow of her water. "Not all of them were associated with the same testing, but those that were we searched for surviving test subjects and then destroyed the base connected with it. Two of us remained loyal to the crew of Anarchy, but we lost contact with the other four – all boys - shortly after they were set free. You already met Amalia – she's the girl who brought you on board. She latched onto and became our medic's daughter as a cover for her being here.

Syn grabbed a drink and swallowed, "ah yeah, that's the good stuff." He said as he put the glass down. "Do you still have the recordings? I'd like to take a look at them myself if you don't mind. And I'd also like to know what DNA you were spliced with."

"I was born on Ritadaria eighteen years ago. Most of my childhood memories are fractured and blurred, so I can only remember bits and pieces." Azrael replied softly. "They figured out that my DNA was compatible with both Phryxian _and_ Trisani so that's what they used on me. Obviously, I survived. So that Trisani you keep sensing? It's me. A Trisani friend of ours brought us to his father and together they helped me learn my powers and eventually they managed to cap off a good amount so that I didn't accidentally hurt or kill my new friends."

"Well, that's probably for the best if Trisani isn't your primary DNA." Nero said lightly.

Darling downed another shot, "Look, it was never our intention to hurt you or your crew, Bane, but the fact remains that we are going to have to keep a watch on all of you until we get the facts sorted out."

Bane nodded. "That sounds reasonable." He rose from his seat. "Azrael, inform the crew that we are relocating and have Atlas update me on the condition of the girl Valiant saved the other night."

"Yes, Captain." Azrael rose, stretching out to her full height and left the room through the same door as the other girl. "Are we surrendering ourselves to the Sentella then?"

Bane grinned. "For now, we allow them full access to our logs and crew list." He cast a glance at the other men, "and nothing more."

"Yes, Captain." Azrael repeated as she turned on heel and left the room.


End file.
